Abortion. This has been one of the most controversial debates of the past decade, and especially in the past 5 years. Although I like to think that I'm more than reasonably intelligent, I was easily confused about the arguments both for and against abortion. Political stances that surfaced every election year didn't help, either; they only made things more complicated. The reason this debate is so heated is that abortion deal directly with two lives (the baby and the mother), and indirectly affects several other people (the mother's partner, and the entire family). But there are other issues as well. Many people say that abortion is just another form of murder. Others say that a baby isn't actually a person until it's born, so it can't be murder. And then, what about abortion in the case of rape?

I realize that abortion is not a clear-cut issue. There are many "but what if" scenarios that change my opinion of what the right thing to do is. First and foremost, I love babies and children, and am deeply opposed to murder. I personally agree with the death penalty (which I'll talk about at some point in the future), and think that anyone who purposely harms a child is a coward. But I don't view abortion as murder, partly because "murder" is too strong a word to use in this case. In order to be called "murder", a person has to be killed, right? So when is a fetus considered to be a person? This is really the root of the abortion debate. Personally, I am of the opinion that a child is considered a person when it can survive without its mother (with medical help, if necessary). Until then, a fetus is really just a parasite with human features that lives off the mother. The youngest baby to survive outside the womb was born after 18 weeks gestation, but 28 weeks is a more typical estimation. And generally, an abortion can be safely performed up to 20 weeks. So quite frankly, no, I don't think that abortion is murder.

This does not mean that I think abortion is okay. I think it should be avoided at all costs. Abortion should NOT be an option simply because a woman accidentally got pregnant, or just doesn't want the baby for whatever reason. One of my readers, who wished to remain anonymous, says, "if a 14 or 15 year old got pregnant then i'd understand the reason" [for getting an abortion]. When asked why, he goes on to say that chances are that a couple this young wouldn't be able to properly care for a child. But in the hypothetical situation that his partner, perhaps a woman in her late 20s, were to become pregnant, but complications forced a choice between her life or the baby's, he chooses to abort the baby. His reasoning: he doesn't think he could raise a child on his own, and he wouldn't want to live without his partner.

I agree with him, but for slightly different reasons. As a woman, if I had to choose between my life and that of my unborn child, I would choose to preserve my own life. Not out of selfishness, though. By my reasoning, I can have another child, but my child won't be able to have another mother. I wouldn't want my child to grow up motherless.

Abortion in the case of rape is another matter entirely, and I'll leave that for a later discussion. But let me know what you think about abortion: are you for it, or against it? Does the situation matter? Would you ever consider abortion? Have you ever had an abortion, or know someone who has?

The video below is very graphic. Believe it or not, it actually aired during this last election season. It actually shows aborted babies. The first time I saw this, I couldn't believe that it was being allowed to air. Whatever your views on abortion, showing the still, blackened bodies of unborn fetuses is not something that should be tolerated.